Paper-feeder.



J. A. KEYES 6: T. L. CAMP.

PAPER FEEDER.-

APPLIOATIOH FILED SEPT. 3, 1908.

4 Patented July 18,1911.

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TTOHNE rs mun-IA PLANOOIAPH c UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE. 1

JAMES A. KEYES AND THEODORE L. CAMP, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PAPER-FEEDER.

and relates especially to feeders comprising a supply box having aslotted support against which the sheet stack rests and a plurality ofintermittently acting separating needles cooperating with the outersheet of said stack, a reciprocating feeder having sectional gripplngmembers pro ecting through theslots 1n said support to engage andwithdraw the outer sheet from the stack and deliver the same tointermittently acting delivery rolls which grip and deliver the sheet asthe feeder withdraws.

In the accompanying drawings showing in a somewhat diagrammatic manneran illustrative embodiment of this invention and in which the samereference numeral refers to similar parts in the several figures, Figure1 is a longitudinalvertical section. Fig. 2 is a transverse verticalsectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the delivery rolls.

In the illustrative embodiment of this invention shown in the drawingthe supply box 1 may as indicated be vertically arranged and providedwith a slotted support against which the sheet stack lies, this supportbeing if desired at the bottom of the supply box and formed of a seriesof separated support bars 61, 37, having intervening longitudinalslotsthrough which the outer sheet of the stack is exposed. A.

plurality of intermittently acting separating needles are mounted tocooperate with the sheet stack, one of these needles being always inengagement with the stack so as to perforate several of the outer sheetsthereof. In this way the outer sheet may be withdrawn by the feeder, theneedle tearing through the same while retaining the other sheets innormal position in the box. As the next sheet is withdrawn anotherneedle comes into action and the first is withdrawn so as to release anyaccumulation of fuzz or paper on the needles and Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed September 3, 1908.

Patented July 18, 1911.

Serial No. 451,486.

keep them in proper operating condition. This may be accomplished bymounting a plurality of needle arms 14, 15, on the transverse shaft 16mounted in a suitable supporting frame 63 detachably secured to thesupply box 1 by the bolts 64 or otherwise so that this frame and needlesmay be bodily removed for inspection or adjustment. The needles 21, 22are detachably secured in the ends of the needle arms and are normallyforced upward with the desired pressure by suitable springs 19 whichtend to draw the needle arms up against adjustable stops 65 in atransverse member 20 in the frame 63. The cam shaft 11 carries aplurality of cams 13, 66 to cooperate with the needle levers 17, 18 onthe arms, the cam 66 as indicated throwing the lever 17 outward andthereby swinging the needle arm.l4 and needle 21 downward about theshaft 16 so as to withdraw this needle from engagement with the sheetstack. The cam shaft 11 may be perated from the drive shaft 7, driven bythe sprocket 41 or otherwise,'by the pinion 40 on the drive shaft whichmeshes with the idler gear 9 in mesh with the gear fixed on the camshaft 11 so as to operate the cam shaft at half the speed of the driveshaft so that one needle is withdrawn at each revolution of this driveshaft. A gear 8 on the drive shaft is in mesh with the idler 23 engagingthe pinion 25 on the same shaft as the. gear 24. The latter engages thegear 26 on the shaft 27 carrying the sectional delivery rolls 36 asindicated and the gear 28 on the shaft 29 carrying the upper sectionaldelivery rolls 30 is in mesh with the gear 26 so that both sets of rollsare driven at substantially the same surface speed. The shaft 29 ismounted in the bearing blocks 32 normally pressed downward by thesprings 34 in suitable apertures in the yokes 33, the intensity ofaction of these springs being adjusted by the set nuts and bolts 35. Inthis way the upper delivery rolls may be moved out of engagement withthe lower of which may be adjusted as by the set nuts 44, d8 on thelower ends of the rods. The bracket serves to support and guide thefeeder 3 mounted in suitable guides therein as indicated in Fig. 2 andcarrying the gripping members 01' sectional grip 2 adapted to projectthrough the slots in the support and engage the outer sheet of thestack. These grips may be formed in any desired way to properly engageand hold the exposed sheet of the stack as the feeder withdraws the samefrom the stack, blocks of sponge rubber or other material being suitablefor this purpose. The bracket and feeder may be projected at the propertime into cooperation with the sheet stack by any desired means such asthe cam 5 mounted on the drive shaft 7 cooperating with a suitable camfollower or roll 53 secured to the bracket so that for each revolutionof the drive shaft the bracket, feeder and grips are held upward in theoperative position incliwated in the drawings for approximately half arevolution. The feeder may also be simultaneously reciprocated by anydesired means, such as the crank 6 on the drive-shaft pivotallyconnected with the link 5 pivoted to the lug 4. on the feeder. In thisway the feeder and grips are moved upward together with the yieldinglymounted supporting bracket until the grips engage the exposed sheet ofthe stack throughout substantially its entire length and width, then thefeeder is moved forward carrying with it the outer sheet of the stackwhich has been lifted clear of the support by the grips. The lower sheettears through the needle 22 in engagement therewith at the time, thisneedle serving to prevent the other sheets from being fed forward and inthis way the sheet is fed into the bite of the delivery rolls 30, 36,between which the feeder grips pass, the feeder itself being formed withsuitable a 'iertures in its forward portion to pass between thesesectional delivery rolls. The front portion of the feeder is alsoprovided with suitable lateral cam portions 62 adapted to wedge underthe depending lugs 8 of the shaft bearing blocks 32 so as to wedge upthese hearings and the shaft 29 carrying the upper delivery rolls 30 sothat at this time the delivery rolls are out of action and cannot feedforward the sheet lying loosely between them. hen, however, the driveshaft 7 has rotated far enough to bring the reduced portion of the cam54 in engagement with the follower 53, the bracket and feeder arethereby lowered, allowing the springs 34C to force the delivery rolls 30into gripping engagement with the lower rolls 36, thereby rapidlydelivering the sheet during the rearward movement of the feeder whichhas been lowered clear of the same. Then when the feeder has reached itsrear position it is once more raised until the sectional grip engagesthe lower sheet of the stack, lifting the stack of sheets clear of thesupporting bars 37, 61 and feeding forward the lowest sheet of the stackwhich tea-rs through the needle 21, at this time in engagementtherewith, the needle 22 having been withdrawn by the cam 13 so that anyfuzz or portions of paper between this needle and the sheet are carriedaway by the sheet and the needle kept free.

Having described this invention in connection with an. illustrativeembodiment thereof, to the details of which disclosure the invention isnot of course to be limited, what is claimed as new and what is desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

1. In sheet feeders, a supply box, a slotted support formed of aplurality of longitudinally separated support bars, a detach-.

able supporting frame carrying a shaft and adjustable stops adjacentthereto, a plurality of needle arms loosely mounted on said shaft andspring-pressed into engagement with said stops, needles removablymounted in said needle arms, needle levers secured to said needle arms,a cam shaft and a plurality of angularly displaced cams on said shaft toengage said needle levers and alternately operate said needle arms andneedles to withdraw the same from engagement with the sheet stackcooperating with said support, a bracket: having yieldingly mountedguide rods secured thereto,

a drive shaft carrying a cam, a follower on I said bracket projectingthe same intermit' tently toward said sheet stack, a feeder slidinglymounted in said bracket and carrying grips projecting through the slotsin said.

support to engage the outer sheet of said 3 stack when said bracket isin active position, and move said stack substantially evenly out ofactive engagement with said support, a crank on said drive shaftconnected with said feeder to reciprocate the 3 same, sectional deliveryrolls rotated from said drive shaft, springs normally pressing saiddelivery rolls into cooperation and cam portions on said feeder to forcesaid delivery rolls out of engagement while a sheet is being fed betweenthe same, said rolls coming into engagement to deliver said sheet whensaid feeder moves downward out of engagement therewith.

2. In sheet feeders, a slotted. support, a supporting frame carrying ashaft and stops adjacent thereto, a plurality of needle arms looselymounted on said shaft and normally pressed into engagement with saidstops, needles mounted in said needle arms, needle levers secured tosaid needle arms, a cam shaft and a plurality of angularly displacedcams on said shaft to engage said needle levers to alternately operatesaid nee dle arms and needles to withdraw the same from engagement withthe sheet stack cooperating with said support, a yieldingly mountedbracket, means to intermittently project said bracket toward said sheetstack, a feeder slidingly mounted in said bracket and carrying gripsprojecting through the slots in said support to engage the outer sheetof said stack when said bracket is in active position, means toreciprocate said feeder and intermittently acting delivery rollsengaging said sheet and delivering the same when released from grippingengagement with said feeder.

3. In sheet feeders, a slotted support, a supporting frame carryingashaft and stops adjacent thereto, a plurality of needle arms looselymounted on said shaft and normally pressed into engagement with saidstops, needles mounted in said needle arms, means to alternately operatesaid needle arms and needles to withdraw the same from engagement withthe sheet stack cooperating with said support, a yieldingly mountedbracket, means to intermittently project said bracket toward said sheetstack, a feeder slidingly mounted in said bracket and carrying gripsprojecting through the slots of said support to engage the outer sheetof said stack when said bracket is in active position, means toreciprocate said feeder to withdraw the outer sheet from said stack, andintermittently acting delivery means engaging said sheet and deliveringthe same when said sheet is released from gripping engagement with saidfeeder.

4. In sheet feeders, a slotted support, a plurality of needle armscooperating with said support, needles mounted in said needle arms andnormally pressed into engagement with the outer sheets of a stackcooperating with said support, means to alternately operate said needlearms and needles to withdraw the same from engagement with said sheetstack, a feeder carrying separated lon gitudinal grips to projectthrough the slots in said support, and engage the outer sheet of saidstack and withdraw the same, means to reciprocate said feeder andsimultaneously project the same intermittently toward said sheet stack,delivery rolls having separate sections to allow said grips to passbetween the same and delivering the withdrawn sheet when the same isreleased from gripping engagement with said feeder.

5. In sheet feeders, a support to be engaged by a sheet stack, piercingseparating means engaging the outer sheet of said stack, a feederintermittently engaging and withdrawing the outer sheet from said stack,delivery rolls having separated sections to allow said feeder to passbetween the same, means to rotate and normally press said delivery rollsinto cooperation and means on said feeder to hold said delivery rollsout of engagement while a sheet is being fed between said rolls, saidrolls engaging and delivering said sheet when said feeder moves out ofengagement therewith.

6. In sheet feeders, a slotted support to be engaged by a sheet stack,sharp piercing separating means cooperating with said sheet stack, meansto alternately bring each of said separating means into piercingengagement with the outer sheets of said stack to simultaneously piercea plurality of said sheets, a feeder having a plurality of friotionallygripping sections projecting through the slots in said support andintermittently withdrawing the outer sheets from said stack, deliveryrolls having separated sections to allow said feeder to pass be tweenthe same, means to rotate and normally press said delivery rolls intocooperation and means on said feeder to hold said delivery rolls out ofengagement while a sheet is being fed between said rolls, said rollsautomatically coming int-0 engagement and delivering said sheet whensaid feeder moves out of engagement therewith.

JAMES A. KEYES. THEODORE L. CAMP. Witnesses HARRY L. DUNCAN, W. E.PEARSE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

